


Something Worth Exploring

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: Captain Canary Self-Prompts❤️ [6]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attraction, Blind Sara, Bonding, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Hopeful Ending, Implied Relationships, Inspired by a Movie, Len is down on the dumps, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Violence, Moody Len, Romance, Sara sees Len through touch, Second Chances, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Touching, fluff just because, happy fluff day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-13 21:05:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7137077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Leonard's day has been pretty bad, thanks to a heist gone south. So he goes to Saints and Sinners to drown his disappointment in a few beers. The last thing he expected was to connect with a beautiful blind girl.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not The Best Start

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this idea just popped into my head around twelve o'clock one morning and I decided to roll with it. I am happy to say that it was inspired by the scene in Fantastic Four- the original film, not that terrible remake - where Ben Grimm and Alicia meet in the bar. I always liked that scene and my brain just went "Duh!" So I changed the situation up a bit, made it about Len and Sara, and voila! Here you have it!

 

  
Today had not been a good day for Leonard Snart. He and Mick had a perfectly planned heist - really, it would have made their other robberies look like child's play, had it worked - but it all fell to pieces before they could even get near the items they planned to steal.

 

Even now, several hours after the foiled robbery, Len struggled to understand what exactly had gone wrong. He and Mick were going to steal two very expensive diamonds, the Jezebel and the Goyte diamonds - both were estimated at a value of twenty million dollars each - from an oil tycoon, Maxwell Hamilton. The guy was one of the world's richest businessmen in the oil industry, and he had a big obsession with diamonds.

 

Len and Mick had heard through their connections that Maxwell had planned on showcasing his two new jewels at a gala in his Central City home before sending them to his vault in Paris. It should have been easy once they had gotten through casing the place Maxwell was currently living. The man loved water, so his home was a large estate, sitting by a beautiful lake.

 

Getting access to the mansion had been a piece of cake for Len. Even though he hard a cold exterior - and interior - he was able to use his natural-yet-laid back charm to rein people in and get them to trust him. He took a position as a bodyguard for Maxwell's son, Frederick - talk about a shitty name for a kid - which gave him unlimited access to the house.

 

Mick, after much protest, had been placed as a security guard, doing daily perimeter checks around the property. Len knew that Mick would be better off away from the indoors, as his pyromaniac tendencies had gotten in the way of some of their heists before. Mick didn't like being put outside, but Len wanted to ereturn on the side of caution.

  
The plan was to wait for the entire household to go to bed and bypass the security locks around the chest in Maxwell's office, which held the diamonds. Len had craftily managed to get the code to the chest from a slip of paper out of Maxwell's pocket. The man was apparently notoriously bad at remembering things with numbers and always carried some kind of reminder of what his passwords and codes were. Granted, he was a colossal moron, but it worked to the Rogues' advantage...or so they'd thought.

 

It turned out that Maxwell's own mistress, Zelda - honestly, did anyone he was associated with have regular names? - had stolen the diamonds. She was just waiting for an opening to commit a robbery herself. After all, Maxwell did buy the jewels for her, but they were having relationship problems before he ever purchased the diamonds. They were meant to be a peace offering, but Zelda just wanted to keep the offering for herself, no strings attached.

 

Len had no idea what happened, but by the time he finally reached the office, Maxwell's safe was open and Zelda was nowhere to be found. However, she did leave a calling card for Maxwell. It said: _This is what happens when you leave me for some young tramp, you bastard. Enjoy your empty safe. It is just like your heart._

 

Miraculously, Len didn't burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter after reading it. After all, it wasn't every day that he came across a note from the thief left to the victim. Maybe in a year, he could laugh about it. For the moment, he was still seriously angry. All of that hard work had gone to waste.

 

After the alarm had been triggered and people scattered around like frightened rats, Len made his way out of the mansion under the cover of the night, then he and Mick took off in their getaway van. Tonight, there had been no real getaway because the broad had beaten them to the punch. Right now, Len just wanted to drink a few bottles of beer and try his best to forget about the dismal failure of tonight's heist.

 

Mick had turned in early, which was surprising. Usually, it was Len who had to half-carry his partner out of the bar and help him get home. The shoe was on the other foot this time, though. Maybe Mick was feeling more down about tonight than Len was, which would be an interesting turn of pace. Hopefully, his partner wouldn't decide to vent his frustrations by lighting up a couple of buildings. Len was not in the mood to pacify the pyromaniac because tonight, he was going to be selfish.

 

Downing his second bottle of beer, Len motioned to the bartender, Jeff, to give him another. Len often frequented Saints and Sinners, as did many other criminals and unsavoury types, so people were used to seeing his face. They also knew who he was and they better to leave him alone, which was just what Len wanted. No one came in a bar to socialise.

 

Jeff came over, handed Len another beer bottle and gave him a side glance. "Rough day?"

 

Len scoffed and simply said, "You have no idea."

 

The door to the bar swung open and a young beautiful blind woman walked through it. She used her bow staff to guide her so she wouldn't run into any chairs or people. Jeff gave her a look and sighed, making his way over to her. The young woman, whose senses were very alert, slapped her stick in the ground in his direction.

 

"Jeff, I don't need you to help me to the bar. I'm not a feeble old woman." She huffed and reached the bar, settling herself on a stool next to Leonard. Leonard, however, hadn't paid attention to the arrival of the woman. He was staring into his bottle of beer, still trying to figure out how the hell Zelda got to the diamonds before he could.

 

Sara Lance sneaked out of her mother's apartment. It wasn't the first time she'd done such a thing and it wouldn't be the last either. Saints and Sinners had always been Sara's choice bar whenever she was visiting her mother in Central City and needed a drink. It was also the closest to her mother's apartment, so the convenience factor was good too.

 

Once she placed her bow staff against the counter, she moved her head up and asked Jeff for a beer. "You know my brand."

 

"Yes, ma'am, I do," replied Jeff with a smile. He already had her bottle uncapped and slid it to her hand before walking in the back room.

 

Humming lightly to herself, Sara placed her purse on the counter, took off her glasses and began groping in front of her for a bowl of pretzels. After several seconds, she frowned, as there was no bowl within her reach. Sara grunted in frustration and cocked her head to the side when she touched something warm and made of fabric.

 

Len tugged his sleeve away when Sara began to pull on it. "Watch it," he said in a gruff voice.

 

Sara blinked in surprise and smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to come on to you or anything. I just can't find the pretzels..."

 

She heard him scoff and there was a moment's silence. A slight scraping sound reached her ears and Sara realized that he had moved the bowl in her direction. She put her hands in front of her, reaching for the bowl. Len didn't look at her as he said, "It's on your left. Don't you see it?"

 

A laugh bubbled up from her throat and she shook her head. He obviously hadn't noticed that she was blind. "Believe me. If I could, I would, but I haven't seen anything in years."

 

There was a shuffling sound and Sara was able to tell the man had turned to look at her. "What do yo-" He started, but the rest of his sentence was broken off when he saw the whiteness of her eyes. "Sorry."

 

She gave him a friendly smile to reassure him that she wasn't offended. "It's okay. Most people just try to get away from me as fast as they can when they see that I'm blind. You're one of the few that hasn't, so thank you."

 

"No problem," came the reply.

 

 _He has a curious kind of voice,_ Sara thought to herself. Kind of like a lazy drawl. Not southern or northern, but...different.

 

Besides touch, hearing was one of Sara's most cherished ability because she had a passion for the different voices she heard. Listening to peoples' voices, noticing the inflections in them helped her understand how they might feel. A voice can be as powerful as a face. Her sister's voice was gentle with a bit of spark to it. Her mother's was warm and compassionate. Her dad's was a little rough, but had a smooth timbre to it, especially when he was happy. Sara adored voices and this man had quite a unique one.

 

Sara took a sip of her beer and mused about the mysterious stranger sitting next to her. _Enough thinking_. _Just talk to him._

 

Taking her own advice, Sara cocked her head to the side and and licked her lips. The pounding in her chest was a little distracting to say the least. Then again, it had been a long time since she'd last talked to a guy at a bar. It was a sad fact, but most men felt a little intimidated by her easygoing nature. There were some people who always believed that the disabled were all needy or helpless.

 

Or, because Sara showed others that she was a strong, intelligent woman who wasn't afraid to assert herself and speak her mind, they got scared. That was annoying to the nth degree. It was infuriating to be looked at in such a prejudiced way. What the hell was so bad about a woman who was confident and firm in who she was as a person?

  
"Do you come here a lot?" Ugh. What a terrible way to start things off. That line was so tired, it classified as a dinosaur. Sara bit the inside of her cheek, angry with herself for saying something so lame.

 

Len gave Sara a once over and raised an eyebrow. She was dressed in black boots, a short black skirt that gave him ample view of her shapely legs and a black turtleneck. Her blonde hair was long and tousled as if she ran her hands through it after brushing it. Sans makeup. She was undeniably sexy, but Len just wasn't interested. He had a shitty night and the last thing he needed was some bombshell turning his head around.

 

"On and off," he replied, hoping that the noncommittal response would send her the message that he was not interested in having a dialogue with her.

 

She didn't get the hint.

 

"This bar is kind of a dive, but it suits me just fine. I'm not one of those girls who needs to go to a fancy club to get a drink. I prefer a more relaxed environment, like this." Her hands gestured around her. "It's one of a kind, don't you think so?"

 

Len couldn't lie. There was something appealing about her. He didn't know anyone who would find this much enthusiasm about a bar. "This place doesn't tend to attract the most savoury kind of individual, but it has an appeal, I suppose..." Len's reply was brief and aloof.

 

There was a shuffing sound and he turned to see that the woman had swivelled in her seat to face him fully. He kicked himself mentally. It was a huge mistake, talking to her. Now she thought that he wanted to be friends or some bullshit like that. Why did today have to be the day when a sexy, blonde stranger walked into his life and he was too annoyed and too tired to give a damn?

 

"Yeah, it really does. You don't sound like someone with a chip on his shoulder. Maybe...something didn't go the way you planned and you're down in the dumps over it? Brooding isn't going to do anything, but make you feel worse, you know."

 

"Oh, really?" He said, scornfully. What...was she trying to analyse him or something? Was she the Dr. Phil of alcohol establishments? Maybe if Len just ignored her, she would realise that he wanted to be alone and not become friends with anyone.

 

Sara took a long sip of her beer and munched on a few pretzels. After swallowing, she rested her chin on her hand. This guy wasn't very talkative. Even though it was absolutely none of her business why he was not mood to talk, she continued to try and get him to respond to her.

 

"Yeah. I'm not one of those people who believes in bar psychology or anything like that, but maybe you'd feel better if you got whatever's bothering you off your chest. I know it helps me. I'm Sara by the way."

 

Sara held out her hand to him and he shook it briefly. "Leonard," he replied. She beamed at him and he couldn't help the slight grin that spread across his features when she did. Damn. This girl was tenacious. If he didn't settle this, though, she'd be encouraged by that handshake to keep talking. "Look...Sara. I'm not really in the mood to become best bar buddies or chat with the locals. All I came here to do was-"

 

"Mind your own business, pop off a few cold ones and go home, trying to forget what happened today. I understand." Sara said flippantly. She had heard that excuse many times. Too bad it had to come from this..Leonard. It was nice listening to his voice, even if he sounded gruff and cold towards her. What was it with Sara's attraction to unavailable men?

 

Now Len could drink his beer in peace. He ignored the sobering sound of disappointment that filled her voice when she spoke. There was a nagging in the back of his head that called him a jackass, but he elected to ignore it. It's not like he cared one way or another. Foolishly, he took another glance at her long legs and cursed inwardly.

 

_Shit._

 

Suddenly, Len decided he'd had enough beers. He took one last swig from his bottle, finishing it off quickly. Then he called Jeff over and paid his tab. As he got off his stool and began to walk away, a voice called out behind him.

 

"See ya later~"

 

Len looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Sara. She wore a smirk on her face and winked in his direction before turning back to the bottle of beer and the small bowl of pretzels in front of her. Len exited Saints and Sinners and placed his hands in his jacket pockets. If Sara showed up at the bar again and he was there, he wouldn't be quite so opposed to talking with her then.

 

 

 


	2. Twice in A Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sara and Len bond at Saints and Sinners._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot longer than I intended it to be, but that's okay because friendship fluff is always fun! The next chapter will be when it gets to the romantic stuff! :D

 

 

  
Len walked into Saints and Sinners with the intent of getting a cold beer and heading back home when he finished. Once his eyes settled on the blonde at the bar, he knew that he'd stay longer than he planned.

 

_Sara. She came back. I wonder if it was for me..._

 

He was certain she wouldn't tell him, though. Why would she, after the rude way he treated her last week? Len didn't like the guilt that churned in his belly. It wasn't as if he intended to be rude. He just had a bad day. People got them from time to time.

 

As he sat down on the stool next to Sara - he didn't sit next to her on purpose, but he wanted the stool closest to the door and it happened to be the one besides Sara - he nodded towards Jeff.

 

"The usual, Snart?"

 

"Yeah, thanks, Jeff," Len replied.

 

Right after he spoke, Sara's head perked up and she turned in his direction. He couldn't help giving her a once-over, and he liked what he saw. She was wearing a multicoloured bandanna on her head, a white t shirt, a dark blue vest, black jeans and combat boots.

 

"Leonard! You're back. I was wondering when you'd show up again." The excitement in her voice perplexed him. They had barely spoken the last time he saw her - not to mention the fact that he had been an asshole to her - and she was happy to see him?

 

"...Okay. Nice to see you too...?"

 

She reached forward and slapped his knee. "Oh, stop being so coy, silly! It's not like my mom is here! We can act normal!"

 

_What the fu-_

 

Why in the world was this woman acting all clingy towards him? Len could admit that he was attracted to her, but he didn't even know her! Maybe she was off her meds and the alcohol was amplifying her behavior. God forbid she was bipolar, or he would walk right out of this bar, beer in hand.

 

He leaned over to her and hissed, "What is going on with you? I don't even know you, and yet, you're acting like we're lovers or something." His eyes narrowed and his fingers began to twitch the way they always did when he was annoyed.

 

Sara leaned over as well and whispered in a low voice, "Look. I'm really sorry about this, but could you just play along for a while? Just until that guy leaves?"

 

"What guy?"

 

"The guy over by the pool table. He's been flirting with me and trying to get me to play pool with him the whole time I've been here. I told him I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't take no for an answer and kept bothering me."

 

Frowning, his eyes searched for a man standing by the pool table. After a few seconds, he knew just who Sara was talking about. The guy was wearing a pair of dirty-looking overalls and a worn baseball cap. Everything about him told Len that he was a creep. The kind who preyed on vulnerable women at bars. Len hated people like that.

 

Sara Lance was definitely not a vulnerable woman from what Len could tell. It was obvious that she was physically fit. The bow staff she brought with her wasn't like the ordinary white stick that blind people use. Len guessed that she used it for walking and fending off pushy people. A small part of him was admittedly impressed and intrigued by this.

 

He turned his attention back on her. "That's risky, isn't it? Asking me, a stranger you barely know, to play the role of protective boyfriend for you. I could be trouble." The last four words that came from his lips had a seductive tilt and that didn't go unnoticed by Sara. She was already interested, so this throwing together that fate arranged for them would just be a good opportunity for her to get to know him.

 

That delicious drawl ran over her like a waterfall and she shivered. Never had she enjoyed hearing a person's voice so much. If there was ever a moment Sara wished she could see, it was right then. Something told her that seeing Leonard's face would stay etched in her memory if she saw nothing else for the rest of her life.

 

"Well, I happen to like a little danger. Makes for a more exciting day." Her breath smelled like peppermint. Another mark in her favor. Len leaned back and watched his fake girlfriend. If he was going to play the part, he'd better act like it. He gave the guy who'd been trying to flirt with Sara a glare and scooted closer to her, making sure their legs were touching.

 

Sara gasped when she felt Len's thigh against her own and she took a swig of her drink, embarrassed by the pink tint on her face. Her reaction didn't escape Len's notice and he smirked when he caught a glimpse at her cheeks. Making her blush was the highlight of this day for sure.

 

"Sara...what's wrong? I thought you liked a little danger?" The seductive timbre in his voice was unmistakable, but he didn't care. Something about this willowy blonde brought out a side of him that he wasn't used to. It'd been a long time since Len flirted with a woman and he was out of practice. However, with Sara, he sensed picking up the slack was easier than it would be with someone else.

 

"I do. You just surprised me." In an effort to change the direction of the conversation, she angled her head towards the pool table again. "Is the creep still looking?"

 

Len rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he is. Screw 'im." He swallowed hard before placing his hand on Sara's. She stiffened for a moment, but relaxed soon after, letting her fingers entwine with his.

 

It wasn't an easy thing for Len to touch her. He never liked to initiate or reciprocate physical contact, thanks to his bastard of a father. When Sara's fingers slid between his, he closed his eyes and began breathing deeply.

 

A person would have to be dead not to notice the way Len responded to Sara's motion. The blonde furrowed her brow and touched his jacket with her other hand. "Hey...are you okay? If this is too much, I can stop."

 

"No. It's okay. I'm not used to being so close to people. Curse of a bad childhood." He chuckled ruefully and took a sip of his beer.

 

Sara cocked her head to the side and nudged him gently. "You know, someone told me that the best way to get over past hurts and hang-ups is to tell all of your secrets to the mysterious blonde in the bar." They both laughed at this, remembering how she'd said something similar the last time she saw him.

 

"Seriously, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Leonard. It's not like we know each other...although, I am doing my damnedest to put myself out on a limb, so if you think you could grab the branch, I'd appreciate it. That way, I'd feel like less of an idiot."

 

Such frankness was uncommon in most people and Leonard was sure that, if it were anyone else, he wouldn't care, but Sara had an interesting way of making him feel like talking about himself. Still, those heavily built defenses weren't willing to break so quickly.

 

"I think I can do that, but for right now, let's focus on you, Miss personality. What's your life story?"

 

"Well, it's not anything spectacular. I lost my sight when I was a baby. Cataracts."

 

"Wait it a minute. Cataracts? I thought only older people got those."

 

"Mm-mm. There are instances where babies develop cataracts too. Unfortunately, there's no cure for me, so I'm officially classified as legally blind. That means there are some benefits I get because of my disability." Sara really hated that word. _Disability_.  It was like one of the world's nastiest curse words to her and it stung whenever someone said it to her.

 

"So...are you completely blind?"

 

"Yeah. I'm as blind as a bat and I have an eye-seeing dog, but that doesn't make me a helpless invalid. It drives me crazy because a lot of people assume that, since I'm blind, it means I'm frail and weak. I'm not, though. I can do regular things that seeing people can. I can cook a little, I'm great at cleaning and I have dozens of books. You know, Braille?"

 

"Right. You have an eye-seeing dog? What's his name?"

 

"His name is Chauncey."

 

"...you're kidding."

 

"No. I swear. That's his name. I didn't give it to him, though. There are places where they train dogs to be compatible for blind people. Chauncey was a gift from my mom for my eighteenth birthday. I was going to college, so she wanted me to have an aid to get around the school faster."

 

"I didn't know they allowed eye-seeing dogs in colleges. I would've figured they'd be particular about that."

 

Sara yawned and stretched her arms out. "Oh, usually, they don't, but the college I went to already had a large number of students who were blind or deaf, so they were a lot more lenient with their policies than other schools."

 

"Well, that's good. If colleges do things to accommodate students who can see, they should accommodate blind students too. What did you study?"

 

"I majored in psychology and and minored in sociology. I'm great with people so it didn't take me a long time to choose."

 

Leonard laughed and nudged her with his elbow. "That doesn't surprise me at all."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"So, what kind of books do you like reading?"

 

Sara played with the hem of her vest and bit her lip. "There are so many favourites I have, but most of them are the classics. The Secret Garden, The Time Machine, Little Women, The Great Gatsby, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Magnificent Ambersons, War of the Worlds. I even have a few books of the original Twilight Zone stories."

 

That was impressive. Most women that Leonard met didn't even like to read, or if they did, they always preferred stupid magazines like Cosmo, People or the National Enquirer. "Who would have thought that I'd meet a woman with culture in a dive like this? I'm liking you more and more, Sara."

 

 _This guy **really** has a way with words,_ she thought to herself. Sara couldn't recall the last time she had such an animated conversation with a person. "Thanks, Leonard. And you? What kind of books do you like?"

 

"I'm a fan of just about any classic sci-fi novel, including Battlefield Earth."

 

Sara wrinkled her nose. "After reading the Braille version of the script, I decided that Battlefield Earth just wasn't my kind of movie, and I definitely wasn't going to read the book either."

 

"Actually, the book is pretty good. The movie was just a failure of an adaption, but it's hilarious to me if I have a few beers in me."

 

"Yeah, the only way someone could watch that film is if they were totally plastered." They both laughed and clinked their beers together.

 

* * *

 

"So do you ever use this bow staff to kick anyone's ass or is it just an intimidation factor to keep the jerks away?" Leonard held the black stick in his hand, looking it over.

 

"I've only used it to fight someone once and that was two years ago. Some guy tried to grope me and with a few well-aimed strikes of it, he was screaming for me to stop." Sara smirke.

 

"Damn. I love it when a woman isn't afraid to kick ass like that." He handed Sara the bow staff and her fingers trembled when their skin touched. The tiny rush of electricity that she felt was not something she imagined.

 

"Ha...I don't make it a habit, and I don't go out looking for fights, but I can't deny that it felt good to use my staff for self-defense." 

 

"As you should be. Sara Lance, I know I've never seen you in action before, but I have to say, I think you're quite the bad ass." 

 

The blonde looked away and scoffed. "You definitely know how to flatter a girl, Leonard Snart."

 

"You make it easy."

 

Sara yawned and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "What time is it?"

 

Leonard looked over at the clock on the wall. "It's six minutes after one."

 

"Seriously?"

 

"Yeah. Why? You getting sick of me?"

 

"Mm-mm. Not yet."

 

"Good."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know that I shouldn't keep posting new Captain Canary stories when I haven't even finished my others. If there's one thing I hate, it's starting one fic when the others aren't done, but this idea was tumbling around in my brain, so I simply **had** to post it!  
>  I don't want to keep telling you guys when the next updates will be posted because sometimes real life gets in the way and I forget to post new chapters. However, you can definitely expect a new chapter for _Night Shift_ in the next few days! I will make the time!  
>  I know. The bow staff as a cane doesn't make sense because blind people use thin white sticks, but she also uses it to beat up people who try to mess with her and I wanted to keep one of the items we associate with Sara in this fic, so just bear with me. :D
> 
> Lots of love, Phoebe~❤️


End file.
